Animated jumping toy



Oct. 27, 1953 E. F. WIDEMAN ANIMATED JUMPING TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1952 E well F. Wideman INVENTQR.

Oct. 27, 1953 E. F. WIDEMAN 2, 56, 46

ANIMATED JUMPING TOY Filed Jan. 9, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ewe/1F. Wideman INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 27, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANIMATED JUMPING TOY Ewell F. Wideman, Wetumpka, Ala.

Application January 9, 1952, Serial No. 265,579

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in animated toys, particularly a toy which simulates the appearance of a dog or some other similar animal, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a highly amusing and entertaining toy of this type which is capable of reclining from an upstanding position and thereafter performin a reverse somersault so as to eventually land on four legs in a standing position.

, An important feature of the invention, therefore, resides in the provision of means, operatively connected to the rear legs of the toy animal, for facilitating the performance of the reclining and subsequent somersaulting operation, while another feature of the invention lies in the provision of means for operatively connecting the head of the toy animal to the rear leg unit, so that the head is lowered when the animal reclines and is raised when the animal is standing.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its efficient operation and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the toy, partly broken away to reveal its construction, the outline of the body of the toy being shown by dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the invention as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational View thereof;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view, similar to that shown in Figure 1, but illustrating the toy animal in the course of reclining;

Figure 5 is an underside plan view of the entire invention, and

Figures 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic side elevational views illustrating the various steps in the performance of the toy.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention is embodied in an animated toy designated generally by the reference character 20, this preferably being in the form of a dog or some other similar animal. The actual external covering of the toy will be hereinafter mentioned, but in the meantime, attention is directed to the mechanism of the toy. This mechanism is contained between a pair of transversely spaced plates 22 which constitute the main body portion of the toy and are secured together by a plurality of cross rods 24, 26, 28, 3D, the plates 22 having downward extensions constituting a pair of rigid front legs 32.

The rear legs are in the form of a substantially U-shaped inverted rear leg unit 34 which is provided with a pair of upstanding ears 36 for pivotal mounting on a transverse shaft 38, carried by the plates 22. The rear leg unit 34 is swing-able from a downwardly extending standing position as shown in Figure 1 to a forwardly extended sitting position as shown in Figures 4 and 7, but resilient means are provided for urging the leg unit 34 to its standing position, these means consisting of a coil spring 46 positioned on the shaft 38 between the ears 36 and having one end portion 42 thereof in abutment with the leg unit 34, as shown. The other end of the spring 46 abuts the cross rod 26 as indicated at 44. i

The rear leg unit 34 has secured thereto by a fastener 46 an upstanding arm 48 which, in turn, has pivotally connected thereto one end of a connecting rod 56. This rod extends forwardly between the side plates 22 and is connected to a bellcrank 52 mounted for oscillatory movement on the cross rod 24.

A winch shaft 54 is rotatably mounted in the plates 22 and has wind-able thereon a flexible element in the form of a tape 56, the free end of which is provided with a cross rod 58 and a loop 60. The winch shaft 54 also carries a spiral spring 62, one end of which is secured to the shaft 54 while its other end is anchored as at 64 to the cross rod 28. The arrangement is such that when the shaft 54 is rotated so as to unwind the tape 56, the spring 62 is wound, and vice versa.

A gear 66 is secured to the shaft 54 and meshes with a pinion 68 on a shaft 16, the latter being journaled in the plates 22 and carrying a hand crank 12 at one end thereof. An escapement mechanism is provided for the shaft 10, the same consisting of an escapement gear I4 afiixed to the shaft 10 and engaged by a suitable rocker unit 16, provided with a pendulum member 18. The rocker unit 16 is suitably journaled for oscillation in one of the plates 22 and an intermediate panel which is interposed on the rods 26, 28 between the two side plates 22, as is best shown in Figure 2.

The aforementioned loop 60 is engageable with a tongue 8| constituted by a portion of the aforementioned arm 48 which projects downwardly from the rear leg unit 34, but when the rear leg unit is in its fully reclined or sitting position as shown in Figure 6, the loop 60 becomes automatically disengaged from the tongue 8| and the end portions of the cross rod 58, drawn-z inwardly by the tape 56', are received by a pair of concave seats or stops 84 secured to the plates 22.

The entire mechanism of the toy is covered by suitable external covering comprising a main: body portion 82 integral with a pair of front legs 84 which contain the leg members 32 therein, while the rear leg unit 34 is-coveredv by leg members 86, pivoting about the end portions of the aforementioned shaft 38. Moreover, the aforementioned bellcrank' 52 carries a head 88 as shown;

When the invention is placed in use, the: crankz 12' is first rotated so as to simultaneously wind the, spring 62 andunwind the tape 55 thereby facilitating engagement of the loop: 60: with the tongue 8 I when the toy is in its'standing. position as shown in Figures 1 and 6.

The: spring 62 is substantially stronger than the. spring All and when the crank I2 is released",v the mechanism, controlled by the escapement 1 1 T6,.l8, will. commence'to haul the tape 56. on the winch shaft 54 by the action of the spring; 62,. thus pulling the rear leg; unit 34 forwardly against the action of the spring 40 as shown in Figured, until anultimate sitting or reclining position is.- reached, asillustrated in Figure 7.

As soon. as this position isattained the' loop 60 will automatically slide off the tongue BI andthe spring 4i), tending to'force the rear. leg unit 34 to its initial standing position,. will cause the: entire body of the toy to swing upwardly withthe'shaft 38 as an axis, so that the toy as a. wholewill perform a reverse somersault asillustrated in Figures 8 and 9, ultimately landing on allfou-rr legs; as shown in Figure 10. Thereupon thedevice will be in readiness for the next cycle of. operation.

It is to 'benotedthat by virtue of the connecting-. rod 50, the animal toy will lower its: head 88 while: reclining, but will automatically raise the head. when. returning to its standing position.

It will; be noted that the body covering 8,2: is provided at the underside thereof with an. opening, 90,- through-which the tape. 56 may be, withdrawn to engage the loop Ell withthe. tongues! After leaving the winch shaft 54, the tape'passes around a guide roller 92 journaledbetweenthe plates. 22.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An animated toy comprising a hollow body and a pair of rigid front legs thereon; a rear leg unit pivoted to said body and swingable from a downwardly extended standing position to a forwardly extended sitting position, resilient means for urging said rear leg unit to the standing position; power driven means provided in said body and connected to the rear leg unit for drawing the rear leg unit to the sitting position against the action of said resilient means, and means for automatically disconnecting said power driven means from the rear leg unit when the latter is drawn tothe sitting position.

2. An animated toy comprising ahollow body and a. pair of rigid front legs thereon, a rear leg unit pivoted to said body and swingable from a downwardly extended standing position to a,

forwardly extended sitting position, resilient means-for urging said rear leg, unit to its stand ing position, a clockwork mechanism provided. in.

said body, a winch in=said bodyoperativel-y connected to said clockwork mechanism and including. a flexible tape element connectiblei to said rear leg unit for drawing the latter to thesitting position against the action of said resilient means, and automatically releasable means for connecting said tape element tosaid. rear leg unit, said. last mentioned means being separable from said leg unit when thelatter'is in its sitting position.

3'. The device asdefined in claim 2, together witha head pivotally mounted on said. body and swingable from a raised to a lowered position, and means operatively connecting said head. to said rear. leg; unit, whereby the-head may be lowered whensaid-leg unit is inthe sitting position.

4,,The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said last mentioned means comprises aloop provided on said tape e1ement,- together-with a tongue provided; on said rear leg unit, said loop'being releasably connected to said tongue.

EWELL F. WIDEMAN.

References Citedinthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 871,701 J'eckert Nov. 19, 1907 2,297,759 Fornas Oct. 6, 1942 

